Summary
Josie is an Obijwe girl who is going to be dancing at her tribe’s powwow in the summer. She practices through the fall and the spring. Josie asks her mom, grandma, tribal grandma, and aunty to all help her make her costume and dream up her spirit name. She shows patience while waiting for her costume to be completed and waiting for her spirit name. Josie’s patience pays off, and her costume is finished, along with her spirit name, Migiziinsikwe. She is welcomed graciously by the tribe.
Theme(s):
Culture, Patience, Tradition
Personal Response
Josie Dances was an awesome read! The story was not only told beautifully through the words but also through the watercolor illustrations. Josie needs to wait for her costume and spirit name, but wondering if she can or when it will be finished brings on the anticipation. Being able to hear the Native American names such as Migiziinsikwe, Great Walker, and Kookum really brings the readers into the culture and gives them an understanding of how much the spirit names mean. Overall, a great read!
Teaching Ideas
A lesson that you could incorporate with this book could be for the children to use their own prior knowledge of a time they had to be patient for something that was really important to them. They could use this as a way to connect with how the main character felt when waiting for her costume and spirit name. The students could use this as a writing exercise and for the teacher to gage their understanding of the reading, as well as their writing skills.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 01, Grade 02
